FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ? Boo Weekley was at the 13th hole during the final round of the Colonial before he finally glanced at a leaderboard ? and saw his name on the top.
It was at that par 3 surrounded by an often rowdy crowd that he also heard the loudest "Boo!" in quite some time.
Weekley hit his birdie putt from about 22 feet, then swiped his putter in the air as if guiding the ball into the cup. He thrust the club above his head when the ball dropped to get him to 14 under, where he finished Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory in five years.
"That's when I realized, 'Wow, here I go.' I need to do something, either hold on to it or try to make a couple of more birdies," Weekley said. "I knew I was hitting the ball too well just to hold on."
With five consecutive pars after that, Weekly finished at 14-under 266 for a one-stroke victory over Matt Kuchar, the second- and third-round leader who had a closing 68.
Defending champion Zach Johnson, who also won at Hogan's Alley in 2010, shot 66 to finish third at 12 under for his first top-10 finish this season ? and fifth straight at Colonial.
Both of Weekley's previous wins had been at Harbour Town, in 2007 and 2008. Like the Heritage winner, the Colonial champion gets a plaid jacket, though the 2008 Ryder Cup team member wasn't able to compare any differences between them.
"I couldn't tell you, it's been so long," said Weekley, who moved up to No. 55 in the world ranking, making him eligible for the U.S. Open.
Weekley's check of just more than $1.1 million matched what he earned his previous 14 tournaments this season while making 12 cuts and finishing in the top 10 three times. He never trailed after consecutive birdies at Nos. 8-10, those coming about the same time Scott Stallings made double bogey at No. 15 to drop out of the lead.
Kuchar, at No. 13 the highest-ranked player in the field, was 12 under after a 55-foot birdie putt at the 436-yard 12th hole. Kuchar punched his right arm into the air to punctuate the shot that got him within a stroke of Weekley for the lead.
Johnson was at No. 17, where a 19-footer for his second consecutive birdie also got him to 12 under.
Almost as quickly, their one-stroke deficit was back to two after Weekley's birdie at No. 13.
"I played well, that's all you can do and whoever wins, tip of the cap," Johnson said.
Stallings' closing 66 put him in a tie for fourth at 11 under, with John Rollins (68) and Matt Every (69).
The best round of the day was a 62 by Web.com Tour player Franklin Corpening, a Fort Worth native who grew up at Colonial and played at TCU. He finished at 8 under and tied for 14th, earning an automatic invitation to play again next year.
Kuchar made an 11-foot birdie putt off the back fringe at No. 2 before a bogey on the next hole when he took two shots from a greenside bunker. Then came a steady stream of pars until rolling in that long putt at No. 12. He didn't have another birdie until a closing 20-footer for second place alone, his sixth career runner-up finish.
"It's a bummer for me. This is a tournament, and this is a golf course, that I love," said Kuchar, a five-time PGA Tour winner. "It's difficult at the moment coming just one shot short but you can't control what other guys do."
Weekley won the same week he went to see a doctor about the problem he has had recently maintaining focus in his left eye, sometimes causing bad twitches and making it problematic reading greens.
"I had a few out there. It was coming and going in that wind," Weekley said. "I don't know what's going to happen. We're going to get home and work on it."
Stallings had a 6-under 29 on the front nine, one off the course record, and was 13 under with a one-stroke lead when he got the 428-yard 15th hole. But he took three shots from inside a radius of about 5 yards after his approach shot from a left fairway bunker stopped behind the hole.
His chip shot then hit the edge of a greenside bunker, rolling into the sand, and he failed to get out of there on his next shot before finally blasting to 6 feet. Weekley had just made an 18-foot birdie at No. 9 to get to 12 under.
"It was kind of a make it, break it point," Stallings said. "You've got to get up and down, especially with the guys with a lot of holes left."
It was also at No. 15 where the only bogey of the day came for Johnson, who missed an opportunity to join five-time winner Ben Hogan as the only players to win Colonial more than twice.
While on the easy par-5, 548-yard first hole, the long-hitting Weekley told his caddie that it was good to feel butterflies again.
Weekley's 22-foot eagle chance at No. 1 stopped about 6 inches from the cup before he chipped in for another birdie from behind the third green. He sliced his tee shot out of bounds at No. 5 toward the Trinity River for a bogey and dropped another shot at the 437-yard seventh hole before starting his go-ahead birdie run with a 6-iron inside 4 feet at the 200-yard eighth hole.
"It feels good to actually have butterflies again, knowing that I'm in this, an opportunity to maybe win," Weekley said. "I might have shot 80 today. But I didn't. It was my time to win."
In June 2012, Oreo posted a photo of a rainbow sextuple-stacked cookie to its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oreo" target="_hplink">Facebook</a> page in honor of Pride month. While the responses were mostly positive, some commenters were outraged, even calling for a <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/oreo-sees-support-backlash-boycott-gay-pride-rainbow-cookie-article-1.1103369" target="_hplink">boycott</a> of the product. Still, Basil Maglaris, Kraft's associate director of corporate affairs, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-krafts-gay-pride-oreo-draws-20000-comments-some-flak-20120627,0,490983.story" target="_hplink">said</a> that the positive comments on the post "far outweighed" the negative ones.
Betty Crocker
The staple of American domesticity is part of the General Mills family of products, which has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by the National Organization for Marriage</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. What better way to celebrate the stand against intolerance than Betty Crocker's <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/supermoist-cakes/products/supermoist cake mix/rainbow-chip" target="_hplink">Rainbow Chip</a> cake?
<em>Correction on July 24 at 1:35pm ET: The original version of this slideshow misidentified the name of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. It has been corrected on this slide and several others throughout the slideshow.</em>
Levi's
In 1992, Levi's found itself at odds with the Boy Scout's 'Three Gs' principle that had guided the Scouts' membership model for more than 80 years -- that everyone is welcome, provided they are not gay, godless, or a girl. San Francisco-based Levi's <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/boy-scouts-battle-on-antigay-policy-levis-the-denim-firm-has-withdrawn-its-sponsorship-over-the-movements-refusal-to-accept-homosexuals-writes-david-usborne-in-washington-1550450.html" target="_hplink">pulled its Boy Scout funding</a>, due to the group's exclusion. In response, Republican Dana Rohrabacher encouraged a 'grassroots' counter-boycott of Levi Strauss and his Texan colleage, Tom DeLay, was even more extreme in his reaction: "When Texans find out that the Levi's they have on go toward attacks on the Boy Scouts of America... they'll take off those Levi's and burn them in the streets."
Cheerios
Not only will this breakfast cereal reduce your family's cholesterol but it will reduce your family's moral integrity as well, according to The National Organization for Marriage. As part of the General Mills family of products, Cheerios is one of the brands that has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.
American Apparel
In 2009, <a href="http://www.americanapparel.net/" target="_hplink">American Apparel</a> put its "Legalize Gay" t-shirt in storefront windows in Washinton, D.C. When a group of <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/american-apparel-pushes-back-against-anti-lgbt-vandalism" target="_hplink">anti-LGBT vandals broke the store's windows</a>, the company didn't back down, but rather agreed to send shirts to any group in D.C. that was fighting for gay rights.
Disney World
Although Walt Disney World's <a href="http://www.gaydays.com/" target="_hplink">Gay Days</a> are not officially sanctioned by the theme park, they were the object of a <a href="http://floridafamily.org/full_article.php?article_no=158" target="_hplink">Florida Family Association warning</a>. The anti-LGBT group paid to have two planes fly over the park, with warning banners, to deter unsuspecting families from attending the park during Gay Days.
Starbucks
In January 2012, when Starbucks released a <a href="http://www.dumpstarbucks.com/documents/memo.pdf" target="_hplink">memorandum</a> voicing support of gay marriage, NOM launched <a href="http://www.dumpstarbucks.com/" target="_hplink">DumpStarbucks.com</a> to urge people to boycott the coffee chain.
Wheaties
As part of the General Mills family of products, which has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, there are attempts to dethrone Wheaties as the "Breakfast of Champions."
Tide Detergent
In 2004, Procter and Gamble <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">angered conservatives</a> by opposing an anti-gay rights statute that would exempt gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection in its hometown of Cincinnati. In response, the American Family Association <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">issued a boycott</a> of some of P&G's most popular products, including Tide Detergent, and gathered petition signatures from almost 365,000 families urging Procter & Gamble to change its policy.
Microsoft
In 2005, Microsoft <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1490060/Religious-Right-to-boycott-Microsoft-over-support-for-gay-rights.html" target="_hplink">came under fire</a> from anti-LGBT activists, including evangelical preacher Ken Hutcherson, for its support of a bill in that would outlaw discrimination against homosexuals at work in the state of Washington. In response, Microsoft <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1490060/Religious-Right-to-boycott-Microsoft-over-support-for-gay-rights.html" target="_hplink">withdrew its support</a> of the bill, prompting outrage from gay and liberal activists and criticism from its staff and other big businesses. In response, Bill Gates backtracked again and admitted that he was surprised by the vehemence of the reaction. When the bill was defeated by a single vote, Microsoft's liberal critics blamed its withdrawal of support for the loss.
Home Depot
A May 2012 <a href="http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147521725" target="_hplink">post</a> on the American Family Association web site proclaims, "AFA is promoting a boycott of Home Depot until it agrees to remain neutral in the homosexual culture war. The total number of people who have signed the Home Depot boycott pledge is 719,037." The <a href="http://action.afa.net/item.aspx?id=2147496231" target="_hplink">pledge</a> condemns Home Depot for giving "financial and corporate support to open displays of homosexual activism," because this helps expose "small children to lascivious displays of sexual conduct by homosexuals and cross-dressers." In response to the <a href="http://action.afa.net/item.aspx?id=2147496231" target="_hplink">pledge</a>, which was delivered at Home Depot's annual shareholder meeting, Chairman Blake <a href="http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147521725" target="_hplink">responded</a>, "We are, and will remain, committed to a culture that fosters an inclusive environment for our associates, our customers and communities in which we exist."
Pampers Diapers
Diapers are essential to fulfilling the straight family-making dream, which make them an odd target of a 'pro-family' boycott. However, in 2004, Proctor and Gamble <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">angered conservatives</a> by opposing an anti-gay rights statute that would exempt gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection in its hometown of Cincinnati. In response, the American Family Association <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">issued a boycott</a> of some of P&G's most popular products, including Pampers Diapers, and gathered petition signatures from almost 365,000 families, urging Procter & Gamble to change its policy.
PepsiCo Products
After it was discovered that PepsiCo gave a combined $1,000,000 to the <a href="http://www.hrc.org/" target="_hplink">Human Rights Campaign</a> and <a href="http://community.pflag.org/page.aspx?pid=191" target="_hplink">PFLAG</a> (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to promote the so-called "homosexual lifestyle" in the workplace, the American Family Accociation posted a "<a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147483718" target="_hplink">Boycott Pepsi Pledge</a>," urging conservatives to stay away from Pepsi drinks, Frito Lay chips, Quaker Oats, and Gatorade.
Safeway
In June of 2009, Safeway honored Pride by putting large gay/lesbian Pride posters in its stores across America. In response to this celebration of the "gay lifestyle," the American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147484828" target="_hplink">urged conservatives</a> to contact their local Safeway, and ask it to "stop promoting homosexuality," and "let Safeway know if they continue, you will consider grocery shopping with their competitors."
Crest Toothpaste
In 2004, Procter and Gamble <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">angered conservatives</a> by opposing an anti-gay rights statute that would exempt gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection in its hometown of Cincinnati. In response, the American Family Association <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">issued a boycott</a> of some of P&G's most popular products, including Crest Toothpaste, and gathered petition signatures from almost 365,000 families, urging Procter & Gamble to change its policy.
Old Navy
In 2011, when Old Navy planned to sell shirts to benefit the anti-suicide, anti-bullying <a href="http://www.itgetsbetter.org/" target="_hplink">It Gets Better</a> project, the American Family Association <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fischer-gays-ought-be-ashamed-national-borders-were-set-god" target="_hplink">urged members</a> to "drop by your Old Navy store in your community and tell them you're not going to shop at Old Navy until they get their minds right."
Girl Scouts
In 2011, when The Girl Scouts decided to allow a transgender youth to participate, The American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147513279" target="_hplink">urged members</a> to contact Girl Scout leadership, "expressing your disappointment in their recent decision to allow boys as troop members," and to "let them know you will not support the Girl Scouts as long as it continues down a path of destructive policies."
Macy's
In December 2011, a Macy's dressing room attendant prevented a transgender woman from using a female dressing room, because it violated her religious beliefs. After the woman was fired for refusing to abide by Macy's pro-LGBT policies, the American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147514523" target="_hplink">lamented</a>, "The LGBT agenda has become the theater of the absurd" and <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147514523" target="_hplink">urged</a> members to contact the Macy's headquarters to "express... outrage at this injustice to female employees and customers."
Target
In May 2012, Target <a href="http://action.afa.net/uploadedImages/Activism/AFA_Action_Alerts/Action_Alert_Related_Items/targetpride.jpg" target="_hplink">announced</a> that 100% of the purchase price of any of its Pride merchandise would be donated to the pro-LGBT <a href="http://www.familyequality.org/" target="_hplink">Family Equality Council</a>. The American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147521799" target="_hplink">lamented</a> that "Target is joining President Obama in ramming same-sex marriage down the throats of the American people" and urged members to contact Target Chairman Gregg Steinhafel, to "let him know that a majority of Americans oppose same-sex marriage and are able to use their pocketbooks to voice their opposition to companies that support it."
It should be noted that Target has also come under fire from gay advocates. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/08/lady-gaga-ends-target-lgbt_n_833209.html" target="_hplink">In 2011, Lady Gaga nixed a deal with Target</a> for an exclusive special edition of her "Born This Way" album after it was revealed that the brand had donated $150,000 to MN Forward, a group that was backing Tom Emmer's gubernatorial bid in Minnesota. Emmer was known for being especially conservative and not supporting equal rights for LGBT citizens.
J.C. Penney
Aside from One Million Mom's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/ellen-degeneres-jc-penney_n_1247657.html" target="_hplink">infamous boycott</a> of the department store for choosing Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson, J.C. Penney also came under fire in June 2012 when its <a href="http://calendar.jcpenney.com/june/#!book/thebook/16" target="_hplink">catalog</a> featured two men on the floor playing and hugging their two children at home indicating, <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147522587" target="_hplink">according</a> to the American Family Association, that the company made a "departure from its moorings to God's Word and Mr. Penney's leadership by taking sides in the cultural war in celebration of homosexuality." The AFA <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147522587" target="_hplink">urged members</a> to "call or visit your local J. C. Penney store manager to politely inform them that you will not be shopping at their store this Father's Day," and added, "If you have a store credit card or hold stock with the J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), you might consider closing your account and divesting until they become neutral in the culture war."
Pillsbury
Pillsbury is part of the General Mills family of products, which has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.
Walgreen's
In 2006, Walgreen's was a Platinum-Level sponsor of the Chicago "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Games" target="_hplink">Gay Games</a>." According to Tom Kovach of <a href="http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/kovach/060319" target="_hplink">RenewAmerica.com</a>, "by its very definition, the 'Gay' Games will invite people from all over the world to come to Chicago this summer and have homo-sex," and Walgreen's support contradicted it "squeaky-clean, family-friendly corporate image." Kovach wasn't alone in his condemnation -- the Illinois Family Institute <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-10-19/news/0510190382_1_walgreens-gay-games-vii-michael-polzin" target="_hplink">voiced opposition</a> and considered urging members to boycott the Pharmacy chain.
Ford
In 2005, the American Family Association <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8047423/ns/business-us_business/t/another-swing-pocketbook/#.T-x3GCtSTDV" target="_hplink">launched a boycott campaign</a> against Ford for being "the company which has done the most to affirm and promote the homosexual lifestyle." The group criticized Ford for donating money to gay-rights organizations (Ford offered to give up to $1,000 to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for every Jaguar and Land Rover it sells to a member of GLAAD) and complained that Ford had sponsored Pride celebrations, advertised in gay-oriented publications and was "redefining the definition of the family to include homosexual marriage."
Gap
When Gap launched an ad campaign featuring two men pressed together under a shared t-shirt, anti-LGBT group One Million Moms, which is part of the American Family Association, launched a boycott, <a href="http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/gay-issues/one-million-moms-protests-gap-clothing-gay-billboard" target="_hplink">stating</a>, "GAP Inc. Brands, including Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta, does not deserve, nor will it get, money from conservative families across the country. Supporting GAP is not an option until they decide to remain neutral in the culture war. GAP needs to seriously consider how their immoral advertising affect the youth of our nation."
Green Giant
The frozen vegetable brand is part of the General Mills family of products, which, in June 2012, was <a href="DumpGeneralMills.com " target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.
The first US trailer for Edgar Wright's "The World's End" fills us in a little more on what to expect from the final installment in the Three Flavour Cornetto Trilogy, which also included "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." And that is robots, apparently. The new preview (via Yahoo! Movies) plays out like the [...]
It's time once again to take up that?good ol' trusty?GeneaBlogger's blogging prompt called Wisdom Wednesdays. My version is to do a sort of self-inventory of things that have happened, both in the plus as well as the minus column and see if anything has been learned. So here we go!
Don't do too much when you have a cold. Yeah, I knew that rest was a sick girl's best friend second only to chicken soup, but having gotten back from a trip back east to see Mom, and where I probably got this cold, I was all ready to tackle that long list of To-Dos I made on the flight home. Too bad I didn't heed the dire warning of those sneezes on that flight back and take some Airborne or something... anything. So here I sit with a lot of inspiration and a way-big list of things to do, and no energy?with which?to do it. Even when I tried to do something simple, it was all a mess. I know this but ignored it, then got overloaded and frustrated... then the cold just sat there. Pass a box of tissues, please.
Where did that blog visitor come from?! I'm not obsessed with the number of visitors to this blog but I will confess to taking a peek at the statistics now and again. What I learn from them is what interests visitors and what doesn't. Last week there were hundreds and hundreds of visitors from one web site, so many that I had to click on the link and see what was up. The link was something innocent and friendly, like "Nice little blog posts?that don't harm anyone". When I clicked through my Kaspersky thought it was OK to go on and I did only to find a bunch of half-naked pictures of women who were supposedly in San Diego looking for a "date." Wha?! I really don't know how my little genealogy blog got all mixed up in this mess. I emailed a very knowledgeable genea-pal and he said pretty much, "It happens." Wait and it will probably go away. So I did. And it did go away. But meanwhile I thought and thought about what might have drawn the attention of such Tom-foolery and then deleted every use of the word s. e. x. And I'm writing it that way in case some bot is out there looking for that word and goes and makes?the Nut Tree?a target again! I had used that word in two posts about Neanderthals and once again in transcribing?a death certificate where gender was stated. Never did get to the bottom of it all, but I figure that a girl can't bee too careful out there on the inter-web. It's stopped now anyway.
Writing ahead. Bloggers tend to accumulate a batch of blog posts that can be floated out and posted any old time. They also work ahead so that they can check their?writing?over again before posting or? in case something comes up at the last moment and they can't get to?writing a fresh?post. Even major lineage societies do it as witnessed by the president of one posting her Christmas message a week before the appointed date, in which she tells of the power going out on Christmas Day! Oops! Getting posts ready for prime-time ahead of schedule is just what the prudent blogger does. Anyhoo, I had no idea that I was going to get sick right after being away on my trip. Therefore I used up my supply of ready blog posts, which was way too small.?That taught me a lesson in being prepared with blog fodder and actual blog posts to a greater extent than I had previously thought. Imagine the nerve: me getting sick! Yeah, it happens:)
Cousins! I just love finding new-to-me cousins!! In spite of sniffling, sneezing, and coughing I've been in contact with a number of folks who are descended from Benjamin Thomas (1793 - 1846),? and his wife Hannah Evans (1798 - 1868). Three of them are descended from their son William Benjamin! I don't know about you, but I love this stuff:) In the days before the internet, it might have taken years and years for them to connect, if ever. But now, within a month or two there are five of us who descended from this brave couple who boarded the Barque Tiberius in 1838 and came to America in search of a better life for their eight children in the coal mines of Western Maryland.
GEDmatch. Wow, is GEDmatch back and rolling on! I want to do a future blog post about what's happening over there for me so I'll keep this short. Just know that I'd tell anyone?who might ask, to go ahead and have your DNA testing?done any old place, and then download the raw data and upload the file to GEDmatch. Really easy, the down and up load stuff and takes just a minute or two. Then sit back and wait for the fun to begin. It might take a little while for it to all roll along, but it does.
Good week. Pass the tissue box, please.
Some of the "goodies" retrieved from Mom's seemingly never-ending stash of stuff, is Dad's high school yearbook from 1935.
Kudos to Apple?s finance lawyers, who are the Cirque Du Soleil of legal contortionism. On the eve of live testimony from CEO Tim Cook, a scathing congressional investigation of Apple?s tax dodging strategy reveals how the computer giant avoided $13.8 billion in taxes through a clever labyrinth of offshore tax havens, shell corporations, and paper shuffling.
?The ability to pay taxes of less than 2% on all of Apple?s offshore income gives the company a powerful financial incentive to engage in convoluted tax planning to avoid paying U.S. taxes,? notes the report from Senators Carl Levin and John McCain of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
The 37-page report is jam-packed with all the edge-of-your-seat thrills one would expect from a congressional report on multinational tax policy; we summed up the good parts so you can concentrate your valuable workday procrastination on cat videos.
1. Ireland: Come For The Beer, Stay For The Tax Haven
In addition to the majesty of rolling hills, towering waterfalls, and a rich culture, Ireland also welcomes billion-dollar multinational corporations with an appealing 12% tax rate. Even better, in a sweetheart deal with the makers of the laptop used to type this story, the Irish have offered Apple a tax rate below 2%. At least since 2009, according to the report, it was, on average, 0.06%.
Senate investigators found this curious, since nearly all of Apple research, development, and board meetings are conducted in the United States. So, when they quizzed Apple about where it calls home, ?Apple responded that it had not determined the answer to that question.?
As a result, Apple has had an effective tax rate of just 20.1%, below the 24-32% it tells investors (according to the report), and well below the 35% the U.S. government wants it to pay. In 2011, it paid a mere $2.5 billion.
2. Sell To Yourself and It?s (Technically) Not Income
On paper, Ireland would appear to buy enough Apple products to reconstruct Blarney Castle from discarded iPods, but Apple?s Irish HQ legal entity is merely a passthrough shell corporation to funnel profits to tax havens, says the report.
The investigators determined that Apple cleverly splits itself into entities around the world, charged with selling products and intellectual property at distorted prices. For instance, Apple Sales International, a shell corporation entitled to Apple Inc?s intellectual property, sells products to its worldwide retailers at a ?substantial? markup, technically raking in most of the profits from goods sold in stores.
?For example, in 2011, Apple reported $34 billion in income before taxes; however, just $150 million of those profits, a fraction of one percent, were recorded for Apple?s Japanese subsidiaries, even though Japan is one of Apple?s strongest foreign markets.?ASI, meanwhile, reported $22 billion in 2011 net income,? explains the report.
3. Choose Which Entity Pays Taxes (Hint: The One With The Lowest Income)
Apple avoids taxes on its $102 billion in offshore holdings, thanks to an unintentional loophole that allows the company to decide which subsidiary gets taxed. In an effort to simplify the global tax rules, the IRS permitted multinationals to ?disregard? sub-entities that were normally taxed (the so-called ?check-the-box? rule).
Apple structured the relationship so that its tax-haven entities received billions in otherwise taxable dividend payments from subsidiaries it had elected to be among its disregarded entities.
In other words, according to the IRS, the payment within corporations is treated as a kind of internal transfer, which Apple funneled to its tax-friendliest locations.
?Those figures indicate that Apple?s Japanese profits were being shifted away from the United States to Ireland, where Apple had negotiated a minimal tax rate and maintained two non-tax resident corporations.?
Looking For A ?Reasonable? Tax Code
Apple, of course, is not the only major tech firm accused of dodging taxes through offshore havens. In Apple?s case, Tim Cook has already donned the good cop role ahead of his congressional grilling, alongside Apple also providing written testimony to the subcommittee.
?If you look at it today, to repatriate cash to the U.S., you need to pay 35 percent of that cash. And that is a very high number,? said Cook. ?We are not proposing that it be zero. I know many of our peers believe that. But I don?t view that. But I think it has to be reasonable.?
Cook will reportedly plead with Congress to simplify the tax code. But, if that happens, a lot of very clever tax lawyers will lose their jobs.
[Image Credit: Flickr User jpmpinmontreal]
April 1, 1976
NASDAQ:AAPL
Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. in January 2007. Among the key offerings from Apple?s product line are: Pro line laptops (MacBook Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (MacBook Air) and desktops (iMac), servers (Xserve), Apple TV, the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server operating systems, the iPod, the...
Brow.si, a new product from MySiteApp, is launching in open beta today as an add-on for mobile websites that promises to bring a number of features to rival the engagement of native apps. These include social sharing, a read it later button, subscriptions, and push notifications (sort of). Developers can also create additional extensions for the Brow.si platform to add further desktop web/app-like functionality and monetization options.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from June 26 to July 3, the White House announced on Monday. The Obamas spent one emotionally charged day in Ghana in July 2009?the president's only other visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
"The president will reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders," press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
"The president will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues," Carney said, adding that "the trip will underscore the President?s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity."
There was no word on whether the president would take up actress Charlize Theron?a native of South Africa?on her offer to be his tour guide.
Secretary of State John Kerry had said in mid-April that Obama would travel to Africa. Administration officials have expressed concern about China's growing influence with countries on the continent.
President Obama gives the commencement address at Morehouse College, May 19, 2013. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
President Barack Obama took a break from the trifecta of controversies?IRS, Department of Justice, Benghazi?swirling around the White House on Sunday to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, the historically black, all-male institution in Atlanta.
"What I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address," Obama told 500 graduates and an estimated 10,000 onlookers, most of them in ponchos, on the school's stormy, rain-soaked campus. "Use that power for something larger than yourself."
While the message may have been unremarkable, the occasion was historic: Obama became the first sitting president to address Morehouse, the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose spirit was evoked throughout the speech.
"Many of you know what it?s like to be an outsider, to be marginalized, to feel the sting of discrimination," Obama said. "That?s an experience that so many other Americans share. Hispanic Americans know that feeling when someone asks where they come from or tells them to go back. Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love they share. Muslim Americans feel it when they?re stared at with suspicion because of their faith. Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work?she sure feels it."
Graduates of Morehouse's class of 2013 watch as Obama speaks, May 19, 2013. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
The president said that while it might be tempting for graduates to use their degrees for personal wealth, they should aim for more. "I know some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself," Obama said. "Maybe you feel like you escaped, and you can take your degree, get a fancy job and never look back. And don?t get me wrong?with the heavy weight of student loans, with doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could scarcely imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty.
"It is not just the African-American community that needs you," Obama said. "The country needs you. The world needs you."
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, attendees arrived as early 3:30 a.m. to reserve a spot at the open-air ceremony.
The president said that growing up, he used to chalk up some of his own "bad choices" to being black.
"We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices," Obama said. "Growing up, I made a few myself. And I have to confess, sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. But one of the things you?ve learned over the last four years is that there?s no longer any room for excuses."
First-year Morehouse College president John Wilson introduced President Obama. Prior to taking the Morehouse job, Wilson ran the White House's historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) initiative.
After the ceremony, the president was scheduled to later attend a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at the home of Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
It was Obama's second graduation speech in as many weeks. Last week, the president delivered the commencement address at Ohio State. His third and final speech of graduation season, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., is slated for Friday.
A foreclosure auction for more than 5,800 acres of Kau land is scheduled to be held at noon on May 21, 2013 at the First Circuit Court Building in Honolulu.? The land includes pastures, coffee farms, coastal land, as well as several homes and lots.? The county appraised the value at $13.6 million and the remaining mortgage is $59.7 million.? There is no upset price on the property.
How did such a large amount of land end up in foreclosure?? Well, it all started in 2006.? Alan Worden led a resort development group which included Windwalker Hawaii and WWK Hawaii Holdings to purchase the Kau land.? They had planned to subdivide the land into 20 acre lots, build infrastructure such as roads, and acquire permits to construct high-end homes on farm land.? In order to develop the land Windwalker Hawaii borrowed $44.7 million from Lehman Brothers Holdings against the property.
In 2008 Lehman Brothers filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (the largest bankruptcy in US history) and stopped funding the loan.? Without the required monies Worden and his development group were unable to continue developing the project or even pay many contractors who had already done a fair amount of work for them.
5,800 acres of Kau land for auction, Photo by The Kau Calendar
Worden?s group filed a motion with the US Bankruptcy Court in New York asking permission to seek an alternative form of funding.? The motion stated, ?Lehman?s failure to fund the project?s operating costs has thus severely disrupted the project?s ability to obtain necessary permits and has been so devastating that the Hawaii borrowers? damages may exceed the amount borrowed.?
After six years of struggling the project has finally come to a halt and the Kau land will be auctioned off.? Chris Manfredi of Windwalker Hawaii said, ?I was here before Lehman, and I will be here after? The community has treated me as `ohana, and I will continue to do all I can to continue to advance our community through agriculture.?
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Dodie MacArthur began her real estate career in Honolulu in 1972. She quickly rose from top sales agent and project manager of major Honolulu developments to representing prominent estate and development properties on Oahu and the Big Island.
With her honed real estate skills and experience, Dodie founded MacArthur and Company in 1989 with the objective of creating a unique boutique firm, where the clients needs came first. In the first year of operation, the company gained immediate recognition as a leading Big Island firm and continues to thrive as a market leader today.
With her abundant energy, creative marketing and dynamic leadership skills, Dodie is responsible for business development and overall company management at MacArthur and Company/Sotheby?s International Realty. She works closely with clients and agents in the marketing and sales of their properties. Her many years cultivating client and broker relationships ensures the firms clients unrivaled exposure.
Along with her management staff and team of successful sales agents and brokers, Dodie is able to provide local, national and international clients with unparalleled customized service, fulfilling her promise that the client?s needs come first.
Scientists think they've created the smallest drops of liquid ever ? the size of only three to five protons.
The droplets were made inside the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, where particles are sped up to near light speed and then smashed together. When researchers collided protons with lead nuclei, they were surprised to find that the result was teeny,?tiny droplets of liquid.
These liquid drops are minuscule, measuring about one-100,000th the size of a hydrogen atom or one-100,000,000th the size of a typical virus. [Dazzling Droplets: Photos Reveal Mini Worlds]
The researchers consider the droplets liquid because they flow more like a liquid than like any other state of matter.
"With this discovery, we seem to be seeing the very origin of collective behavior," Vanderbilt University physicist Julia Velkovska said in a statement. "Regardless of the material that we are using, collisions have to be violent enough to produce about 50 subatomic particles before we begin to see collective, flowlike behavior," added Velkovska, who is a co-convener of the heavy-ion program of the Compact Muon Solenoid, the?LHC detector?where the droplets were made.
In fact, the droplets appear to be tiny bits of one of the hottest liquids known, called?quark-gluon plasma. This plasma, essentially a?soup of quarks and gluons?(the subatomic ingredients of the protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei), has been made at LHC and other particle accelerators before.
When quark-gluon plasma was first discovered in the early 2000s?inside the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, physicists initially thought it would behave as a gas does. Instead, they found it had liquid properties. Scientists think this plasma represents the state of the whole universe just moments after it was born in the Big Bang, when the universe was extremely hot and dense.
The first artificial quark-gluon plasma was produced by smashing two gold nuclei together, and was later re-created with collisions of two lead nuclei. The CMS researchers wanted to test whether quark-gluon plasma could also be made by colliding a lead nucleus with a proton, which is 208 times less massive than lead; they expected these impacts would not be energetic enough to produce the plasma.
"The proton-lead collisions are something like shooting a bullet through an apple, while lead-lead collisions are more like smashing two apples together: A lot more energy is released in the latter," Velkovska said.
The results of the experiment were unexpected. In about 5 percent of collisions ? those that were most violent ? enough energy was released around the "bullet hole" where the proton smashed through the lead that some of the protons and neutrons there melted. This material seemed to form droplets of liquid about one-tenth the size of the quark-gluon plasma batches created by lead-lead and gold-gold impacts.
Quark-gluon plasma is still a mysterious form of matter, and the scientists can't be absolutely sure yet that what they saw were liquid droplets. Further tests should help differentiate between that interpretation and other possible explanations of the results, the researchers said.
Velkovska and her colleagues detailed their findings in a paper submitted to the journal Physics Letters B.
Follow Clara Moskowitz on?Twitter?and?Google+. Follow us?@livescience,?Facebook?and?Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013?LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A new Lumia phone from Nokia, this year's Google I/O and BlackBerry Live -- yep, it was a pretty hectic week for us, but also a good seven days for tech news. Even if Google didn't have any truly new hardware for us, it's started up its own on-demand music service, gave us more details on Google Glass, redesigned its Maps and, well, it was a very long keynote. Join us after the break for a numerical breakdown of that and the rest of the week's big news.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unemployment rates dropped in 43 out of the 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia in April from a year before, according to Labor Department data released on Friday.
A handful of states, including Illinois, Delaware, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi and New Hampshire saw their jobless rates rise over the year. Illinois' rate fell in April to 9.3 percent from 9.5 percent in March but rose from 8.8 percent a year before.
"April data reflects the unevenness of this recovery," said the director of the Illinois employment department, Jay Rowell, in a statement. "This uneven path forward likely will continue until consumer and business confidence can be sustained at the national level."
Even though Nevada registered the largest rate drop of all the states over the year, it still had the highest unemployment rate in the country at 9.6 percent in April. The state, which reaped economic fortune during the housing boom, saw its rate spike to 14 percent in September 2010, the highest on records going back to 1976, and then steadily drop.
After Nevada the next higher rates were Illinois, Mississippi and California. In California, where the economy is on the mend, the state unemployment rate continued its decline falling to 9 percent from 9.4 percent in March - a record low since December 2011.
North Dakota's unemployment rate, the lowest in country for half a decade, inched up to 3.3 percent. The state is in the grips of a commodities boom, with North Dakota's 28,600 mining and logging jobs in April 321 percent more than five years before.
Still, it was one of seven states where the jobless rate rose over the year. In April 2012, North Dakota's jobless rate was 3 percent, and in March it was 3.2 percent. The increase may be due to its swelling labor force, which also grew since April 2012.
Seasonal factors could also be in play, according to Michael Ziesch, a manager of labor market information for the state, who noted "April rates have historically always posted a decrease from prior month, this year was no exception."
"Current period rates are slightly higher than a year ago and reflect longer winter type weather in the period that delayed many outside projects," he added.
From March, unemployment rates fell in 40 states and Washington, D.C., and were unchanged in seven. Rates rose in two other states besides North Dakota: Louisiana and Tennessee.
On Friday, President Barack Obama visited Maryland in a campaign-style stop on his "Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour," and was set to appear at a local manufacturer to promote job creation and education.
Situated close to the nation's capital, Maryland is home to federal contractors and employees, and also has a burgeoning technology corridor. Some had warned that its employment would shrink once the across-the-board federal spending cuts known as sequestration took effect on March 1.
In April, its unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent from 6.8 percent a year earlier, the lowest in more than four years, according to Governor Martin O'Malley. Over the last 12 months, 34,600 jobs have been added to payrolls in the state, as well.
Neighboring Virginia, which has also prospered from a strong federal workforce, had an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent, also the lowest in more than four years.
At the national level, the U.S. unemployment rate fell to the lowest since December 2008 in April, 7.5 percent, while nonfarm payrolls rose, according to a report released earlier this month.
Over the year, payrolls grew in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Since March, employment increased in 30 states, decreased in 18 and the District of Columbia, and was the same in two.
Texas gained the most jobs over the month, 33,100, followed by New York, 25,300 and Florida, 17,000. Wisconsin lost the most jobs from March at 24,100 followed by Minnesota at 11,400.
At one point during the recession, Michigan's employment conditions were the worst in the nation with the struggling automobile companies that have long anchored its economy laying off hundreds of thousands of people. In April, its unemployment fell to 8.4 percent from 8.5 percent in March and 9.1 percent the year before.
"Michigan labor market indicators were relatively unchanged in April," said Michael Williams, acting director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, in a statement. "However, the number of unemployed in Michigan has declined for three consecutive months."
(Additional reporting by Karen Pierog in Chicago, editing by Tiziana Barghini and Chizu Nomiyama)
17 May 2013Last updated at 11:41 ETBy Mark KinverEnvironment reporter, BBC News
A tree expert has said the biggest threat facing UK trees is likely to come from a disease currently unknown to science.
The warning came as a leading UK citizen science programme launched a tree health monitoring project.
Tree officers suggest urban trees, already under stress from city living, are among the most susceptible.
Last year's arrival of ash dieback threatens to change the nation's treescape forever, ecologists say.
"Firstly, it is important to say that is very difficult to prioritise what are the main threats," explained David Slawson, head of plant health public engagement at the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera).
"But I would always say the main threat is 'unknown'."
Dr Slawson added: "It may sound slightly alarming, but the likes of Phytophthora ramorum was not defined by science when it started causing problems.
Continue reading the main story
Symptoms of Chalara dieback
Diseased saplings typically display dead tops and side shoots.
Lesions often found at base of dead side shoots.
Lesions on branch or stem can cause wilting of foliage above.
Disease affects mature trees by killing off new growth.
"It could be an unknown disease that could be the next big thing and that is why putting generic measures in place that aim to protect against everything are so vital."
One of those measures is a formal scientific process called Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), he told BBC News.
"So there is a very well established international procedure on how you do assess the risk of an individual pest," he said.
As well as safeguards put in place by plant scientists within Fera and the Forestry Commission, Dr Slawson explained that the European Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) was continually monitoring the movement of potential threats to Europe's flora.
EPPO also publishes Pest Alerts, which acts as an early warning system and often forms the basis for scientists to exchange data and research at the monthly meeting of the EU Plant Health Standing Committee.
Now, another dimension has been added to the array of monitoring methods - citizen scientists.
Fera is one of the partners in the Open Air Laboratories' (Opal) latest survey, which focuses on tree health.
Opal is was designed to get people outdoors and provide a chance to get involved in scientific research.
Its director, Dr Linda Davies, said: "Tree health is one of the most important surveys Opal has developed so far.
"Whilst learning about local trees and gathering lots of interesting information, local people can also contribute their findings to a national research programme investigating the condition of the nation's trees and the factors affecting them."
Bleak expectations
Scientists are expecting this summer to reveal that ash dieback will have extended it reach across the landscape.
The omens are not promising. This week saw the first confirmation of an outbreak of Chalara fraxinea disease in the wider environment in Wales.
"Once again, it brings into sharp focus the ongoing threat our trees and woods are facing and highlights the need for a stringent plan of action to protect them," said Austin Brady, head of conservation at the Woodland Trust.
"Ash dieback is just one of the many diseases and pests already in the country with many more just across the border in Europe."
Keen for early detection of new cases of ash dieback, the Forestry Commission has posted a video on its website to help people identify infected trees during the spring.
The Commission said the video was designed to help people spot tell-tale signs on ash trees, which are late coming into leaf compared with other species.
"We are particularly interested in suspected cases in counties where it has not been found so far," Dr John Morgan, head of the Commission's Plant Health Service.
He added that August and September were the best months to look for symptoms of dieback because by the autumn infected leaves could be confused with leaves that were naturally changing colour.
Although the temporary ban on ash imports remains in force, the government issued a statutory plant order in January that required people to notify officials if they planned to bringing ash, sweet chestnut and plane trees into England.
How ash dieback could threaten Britain's wildlife
Continue reading the main story
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) wants the government to go further and ban imports of the three tree species, all of which have been the victims of potentially devastating infections overseas.
The arrival of ash dieback in the UK was in February 2012 when a consignment from a nursery in the Netherlands was confirmed to be infected with the disease.
The HTA called for ash imports to be banned in 2009 after seeing the impact of the disease in Denmark.
Recently, the HTA said that sweet chestnut tree imports should also be banned as concern grew about the spread of a usually fatal blight (caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica) through much of mainland Europe.
The UK had a close escape in late 2011 when the disease was identified at nine locations but the infected trees were destroyed before the fungus became established in the surrounding environment.
It had previously never been recorded in the UK on the species that the Romans are understood to have originally introduced to Britain.
In late 2011, the HTA also called for the introduction of a ban on plane tree imports.
A fungal disease, known as canker stain of plane trees and found in mainland Europe, has a history of leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.
It was first recorded in the US during the 1930s and, in the space of a few decades, had wiped out most, if not all, London plane trees (Platanus ? acerifolia) - a popular street tree - in cities along the east coast, from New York state to Louisiana.
It is believed to have been brought to Europe via crating material, made from infected wood, used by the US military during World War II.
Watching and waiting
French researchers fear the highly infectious disease will wipe out all of the estimated 42,000 plane trees that line the banks of the nation's 240km (150-mile) Canal du Midi - a UN world heritage site - by the middle of the next decade.
Jake Tibbetts, chairman of the London Tree Officers Association, says the arrival of canker stain of plane trees in the UK would be deeply worrying.
He said: "When you talk about the heritage of trees and what we have gained from the planting done by the Victorians, my biggest concern is that as those big, landmark trees had to removed en mass, very quickly, we would suddenly be left with a very different urban landscape - one that would be very problematic to replant.
"When those trees were planted [in Victorian times], the soil was in better condition, pavements were not as impermeable as they are now.
"And there was not the same level of competition above and below ground that those trees now have," he told BBC News.
"London plane trees, a decade ago, were thought to be as tough as old boots, with no real pests or diseases to threaten them.
"They were considered fantastic trees to plant and would grow anywhere; now we are having to question whether London plane trees are suitable trees to plant for the future."
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? Los Angeles County prosecutors say they've charged a former "Days of Our Lives" actor with selling cocaine out of his Agoura Hills home.
Spokeswoman Jane Robison says Dylan Michael Patton was charged Thursday with one count of cocaine possession.
Sheriff's deputies arrested Patton after searching his home with a warrant Tuesday. They say they seized an unspecified amount of cocaine.
Patton played the role of Will Horton from February 2009 to January 2010 in more than 100 episodes of the long-running soap opera. His character is the son of Sami Brady, who is played by Alison Sweeney.
If convicted, Patton faces up to nine years in prison.
It isn't clear whether Patton currently has a lawyer or a publicist. A phone number listed in his name was not set up to receive messages.
It?s a fact that lake Erie is one of the largest U.S. lakes, and Lake Erie fishing charters is one of the best ways to experience it. It does not matter if you are a life long fisherman, new to the sport, or never held a rod, heading out on the waters with a Lake Erie fishing charter will be a fun filled fishing adventure. One can also consider Auckland fishing charters and a fishing trip.
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Like most other charter companies, a Lake Erie fishing charter will be run by an experienced fisherman who knows the Lake Erie waters. He will know the best places to catch the fish you are looking for, the best time of day to go fishing, and he will be able to offer some sound advice on how to catch some great Lake Erie fish. One of the great things about a Lake Erie fishing charter is you can rent one for the day for yourself if you need some rest and relaxation, or you can take a few friends and have an adventure together.
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SCOTTS MILLS, Ore. (AP) ? After a two-day search in rural Oregon failed to yield any trace of missing Utah mother Susan Powell, authorities said Thursday they may close the investigation.
"The leads have become fewer and farther between," said Wayne Pyle, the city manager for West Valley City, Utah.
"If nothing comes from it, we do feel like we are close to the end of the investigation," he said.
Investigators found no signs of Powell, missing since 2009, after using dogs to search a rural site near this town in Western Oregon.
"It's been a meticulously investigated case. We've looked at every tip and aspect" and will continue to do so, said Sgt. Mike Powell, a spokesman for West Valley City police who is not related to the missing woman.
In an interview Wednesday night, Susan Powell's father said he hoped the investigators would turn up some sign of her.
"I'm disappointed," said Chuck Cox, who accompanied some of the search dogs on the hunt. "I just don't know where she is, but we'll keep looking for her."
He said the Oregon property had ties to the family.
Susan Powell was reported missing in December 2009 after she didn't show up for work. Her husband, Josh, maintained his innocence and said he took the couple's young boys on a midnight camping trip in freezing temperatures the night his wife disappeared.
In February 2012, Josh Powell locked a social worker out of his home at the start of a supervised visit, then killed himself and the couple's two young children, attacking his sons with a hatchet and then setting the house ablaze. Days earlier, a court had ordered Powell to undergo an intensive psychosexual evaluation as part of a custody dispute.
Josh Powell was never charged in his wife's disappearance, but unsealed documents say authorities found Susan Powell's blood on a floor next to a sofa that appeared to have been recently cleaned, with two fans set up to blow on it. Investigators also found life insurance policies on Susan Powell and determined that Josh Powell had filed paperwork to withdraw her retirement account money about 10 days after her disappearance.
Anne Bremner, an attorney for the Cox family, said the brother of Josh Powell had said in a deposition that he had driven to Oregon and abandoned a vehicle there. The brother, Michael Powell, committed suicide earlier this year.
Bremner said she's still interested in seeing more work at the property, including the possibility of having volunteers go to the site to help search.
Cox said he appreciated that investigators spent time on the Oregon search, saying it showed a dedication and determination to find his daughter.
___
Knox reported from Salt Lake City; AP reporter Mike Baker contributed to this story from Olympia, Wash.
May 15 (Reuters) - Post positions for the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes, to be run at Pimlico on Saturday (Post Position, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds) 1. Orb, Joel Rosario, Shug McGaughey, even 2. Goldencents, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill, 8-1 3. Titletown Five, Julien Leparoux, D. Wayne Lukas, 30-1 4. Departing, Brian Hernandez, Al Stall, 6-1 5. Mylute, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss, 5-1 6. Oxbow, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas, 15-1 7. Will Take Charge, Mike Smith, D. Wayne Lukas, 12-1 8. Govenor Charlie, Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 12-1 9. ...
What has your calendar done for you lately? Just reminding you of the day isn't going to cut it anymore?that's why god gave us smartphones. So if traditional calendars want any hope of staying relevant, it's time to start pulling double-duty. Which is exactly why we love this ingenious?if perhaps mildly unsanitary?drinkable tea calendar from H?lssen & Lyon.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from June 26 to July 3, the White House announced on Monday. The Obamas spent one emotionally charged day in Ghana in July 2009?the president's only other visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
